Stress. Someone once said "Stress is all in the mind." Obviously this person never had a body to deal with, or they'd know that you feel stress in your head, in your neck, down your back, in your fingers, heck all the way to your fingertips and beyond.
Yeah, I'm a little fried at the moment. It's not just the holiday shopping season, which always wreaks havoc with my head. (The week leading up to Black Friday is a flurry of insanity as we try posting coupon after coupon, and once Cyber Monday has passed, then the REAL online shopping season begins, and we're burning way more then the midnight oil up to about a week before Christmas.) It's not that the kids are getting over colds, and the little guy's teething worse then ever (he's finally getting his last two molars, and the poor guy's having a ton of trouble sleeping.) It's not that we put our house up for sale and we're hunting for a new one. And it's not that the holidays are quickly coming up, so there's always stress in terms of buying gifts, seeing family, etc. (Though that's a "good" kind of stress I think). No, it's kind of the combination of all those things at once. Except there's one more new wrinkle that's really lighting a fire under this powder keg...
At a recent visit to his dermatologist, my dad had a birthmark that looked a little funny. So they biopsied it, and turns out its melanoma. Yeah, the worst kind of skin cancer. But if caught early enough, is fairly easy to get rid of. So tomorrow my dad's going in around 9:30 to have it removed. Hopefully they don't find anything else in there while they're digging around, and then we just have to wait a few days (most likely until next week due to the holiday) to see if they got it all or not. If they did, we're in the clear. If not, then they need to do tests to see which of four lymph nodes it possibly spread into. I'm not freaking out yet, though with a wife and mother who do sort of get a bit jittery (my mom's normally a nervous wreck), I'm starting to get a little nervous I'll tell ya. Especially when compounded with all the other stresses going on. I wish I could go play some video games or watch the entire 2nd season of The Office to take my mind off of things, but unfortunately, I've got a load o' work to do from now until January 2...
But, what do you guys do to relax? How do you deal with the stresses in your life?
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4 Responses to “I cannot stress this enough”
Stress is a funny thing. It causes so many health problems its unreal. That's why it is so important to keep a positive attitude. Me personally, I like nothing better at the end of a long day than to sit on my couch and watch home improvement shows like Holmes on Homes or In a Fix. They are slow paced and easy to follow. Nothing to intense at the end of the day.
If I were to get on the computer it would have the opposite effect. I'm on computers all day at work so if I do that when I get home it would feel like I was still at work.
I guess the best thing is to just get away from your normal routine when you are de-stressing. And remember, a positive attitude is the most important thing!
Andrew, so sorry to hear about your Dad. Hope the procedure to remove it went well. Great that they caught it early! I have a good friend whose wife was also diagnosed with Melanoma, but it was unfortunately not early and she is in a big fight for her life right now. So definetely count your blessings this Thanksgiving! I will be praying that it all works out and that the Dr's get it all.
And on a much less significant topic, I hear ya on the work load. It seems every time I check my email I have another 45 minutes of work. But hey, the harder we work, the bigger the reward. At least that is what I keep telling myself...
Re-read your post and I misunderstood, I thought you said they did catch it early, but it sounds like the Dr's dont know yet, so I will definetely be praying that they did catch it early.
@Complete Geek - Thanks for the comments, and advice. Since I work from home, I'm always on the computer anyways, whether work or personal stuff, so it doesn't always feel like work. (Even though I am working all hours anywasy). I chat a lot on IM, read blogs, etc., so it can help relax too. But yeah, getting out, going for a walk, or getting my butt kicked on Madden for the Wii can help too.
@Kyle - Thanks muchly. Yeah, we're hoping they caught it early. We'll find out on Monday or Tuesday most likely. I'm so sorry to hear about your good friend's wife, though. I wish her and her family the best of luck with this insane battle. And yes the work never ends now, huh? But it does payoff better in the end as you said.